Her Ivory Tower
by ItsLukasBondevik
Summary: Eugene Fitzherbert died for this girl, and now he wonders if she'll ever truly be his.


Summary: Eugene Fitzherbert died for this girl, and now he wonders if she'll ever truly be his.

She kissed him like he'd never been kissed before. It was passionate and yet, at the same time, it was innocent, warm, caring. There was more love behind that kiss than he had ever felt in his entire life from any woman he'd seen. Her tiny hands clenched his vest tightly, and he felt good, no... he felt better than good. He felt perfect. His life was starting to fall perfectly in place. He had a girl that he would never thought he'd have, a true love that he never expected, and a life ahead of him that seemed a little more than living lonely on an island.

Rapunzel pulled back from the kiss, the haircut he'd given her really not looking too terrible, though perhaps it was because it was dark in the tower and not really because he'd done a good job. Eugene hugged her tightly once again, burying his face in her shoulder, feeling the warmth of her against him and he knew that there would never be better days than what was coming. He and his girl would be together, he'd quit thieving and get an honest job, take care of her for the rest of their lives. He would marry her, he'd be there for her forever. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her.

_Though_, he thought wryly, _once you die for a person, that pretty much becomes self explanatory._ She stood up and went to pull him with her, but his arm, still in the shackle, held him back, and he grumbled, "Great."

"Oh, hold on Eugene." She turned around and picked up the key that had been dropped on the floor, hurrying to set him free. Her hand was shaking and she couldn't steady herself enough to get it into the keyhole, so he wrapped his fingers around hers, helping her unlock the metal brace around his wrist. With great gusto he jumped to his feet, and flexed his arm, feeling around for the wound between his ribs that was no longer there.

"You really are something else," he admitted to her, taking her hand in his as they made their way down the steep staircase that Rapunzel never knew had been there until that very hour. It was dark, and she clung to him, and Pascal clung to her, until they made their way out into the now erupting daylight as the storm clouds disappeared over the mountains. Rapunzel put a hand over her eyes, wincing in the sudden brightness, and Eugene did the same, trying to get his bearings.

"I think the best thing to do," he said frankly, tapping his chin, "is to make a run for it, because really, I saved a girl's life that no one knew about so I mean, that really doesn't elect me for a medal or anything right now. I'm sure we can find somewhere we can stay and I won't get arrested for some heinous crime or other and we can stay together. What do you think?" He turned to look at her, and she was not paying attention, her hands gripping Gothel's cloak tightly, tears dripping from her eyes.

She whispered, "She was the only mother I ever knew, you know. Even though she kidnapped me, and hid me away, and used me, it still hurts to know that she's..." Her voice cracked, and Eugene knelt down next to her, his arm around her shoulder about to comfort her when what she said finally sunk into his thick skull.

For a moment, his mouth gaped like a fish, unable to make a sound. "Wait a minute," he said, his brain working overtime. "She's not your real mother?" Rapunzel met his eyes, hers still swimming in a pool of tears, and shook her head. She stood up, the cloak still clenched in her hands so hard that her knuckles were almost white. Eugene was still flabbergasted, as she gave him an embarrassed smile.

"Eugene," she said quietly, pushing her hair behind her ear. "I'm the lost Princess."

As quickly as his brain had gone into overdrive, it stopped. _No, no, no, no._ He didn't want to even think about the implications that brought. He couldn't. This was terrible, this was not good, not good at all, not in the slightest. She was a princess, a beautiful, wealthy, and he would assume, loved, princess. And he... well. He was nothing. He wasn't good enough for her. And he knew, from that moment on, he'd lost everything.

"You're..." he couldn't even say it out loud.

"The lost princess," she finished for him, looking nervous as to why he wasn't saying anything. "Gothel... she kidnapped me when I was a baby because of my hair. She's the one that cut it off, trying to keep herself young forever. But I'm really the princess that everyone's been missing for eighteen years. The lanterns, all this time, they were always for me." Eugene nodded, knowing he had to get a hold of himself. This was a delicate situation, something that took the finesse that Flynn always had, and that Eugene needed to work on.

With an enormous sigh, his eyes moving from Pascal's, to Rapunzel's, to Maximus's, he knew what had to be done. "Let's get you home then," he said, feeling like he should tear out his heart now to save himself the trouble later. This, living without her, would be worse than dying. He could definitely attest to that. He lifted her up on Max's back, and climbed on behind her, as the white horse directed them back quickly to the castle where Rapunzel belonged all along.

He was stupid, he knew, to get attached. Thieves should never get attached, they should never make friends or fall in love. And now he was going to lose the only good part about his life. There was obvious tension in the air though, as Rapunzel kept looking back at him, worried about the expression on his face. At that point though, Flynn was back at full force, and he let out a weak chuckle, deciding to crack a joke to break the silence. "You know what my one regret is?" His voice was dramatic, and she knew he was kidding.

"What's that, Eugene?" she asked, smiling, hoping that he was back to being himself again.

"I wish I was right."

Surprised, she questioned, "About what?"

"If I had gotten superhuman strength in my hands, _imagine_ how I'd be now. I practically be a superhero!" Rapunzel thought about that for a moment, and then giggled quietly before it turned into a full blown laughter. Her tears were completely dried up, and he felt that, if nothing else, he could at least make her smile. After a minute, her chuckles died down and she leaned back into his chest, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"I wonder what it'll be like," she said out loud.

"What's that?"

She looked back at him, her expression soft. "Having a family." He nodded, his throat too choked up to dare try to say anything, and Pascal watched him, his tiny face suddenly aware that there was something wrong with the man. Eugene shook his head at the chameleon, pleading with him to stay quiet, to pretend that everything was perfect, for Princess Rapunzel's sake.

As they rode up to the palace, the guards were there, waiting, though surprised to see that Maximus had actually let the infamous Flynn Rider on his back, let alone ride him for what seemed like a great length of time. "There's Rider!" one of them shouted, and as they started to converge, Eugene stood up and whipped out her frying pan.

"Stop," he demanded, and much to his surprise, they obliged to his request, looking baffled. "You see this girl? This is Rapunzel, and she is the princess we've been looking for. Please," he said, his heart sinking as he spoke. "Please let me take her to her parents." The guards stared at the girl, suddenly realizing that there was an uncanny resemblance between the queen and mural on the wall and this pretty young thing.

One of the guards stepped forward and offered his hand out to the girl, helping her off the horse, believing and knowing in his heart that Flynn Rider was actually telling the truth. "Come with me," he said, bowing to her. Eugene stepped down but did not follow as Rapunzel took a few steps away before looking back at him.

"Eugene," she beckoned, holding her hand out. "Let's go." Pascal leaped from her hand to Eugene's shoulder, and finally rested on Max's saddle, watching his closest friend walk away hand in hand with the unsure vagabond. The guards were equally confused, unsure if they should attack and arrest the man they had been chasing for so long or if they should just let him waltz up to the castle, holding hands with their missing princess to meet the King and Queen.

They did nothing at all, as the castle doors closed behind them. The guard asked them to wait on an upper balcony, and he rushed off to find the monarchs of their kingdom. This was the greatest event to have ever occurred.

Eugene stared off into the sunset, still holding Rapunzel's hand loosely in his own. _After this_, he wondered to himself, _where do I go?_ There was nothing at all waiting for him out there that could mean more than the person standing right by his side. His life, before, had been full of material possessions and wants, selfish dreams and empty realities. Living alone for his entire life, he hadn't known what was truly missing, what he truly needed. And what he truly needed right now was her.

She squeezed his hand, and said, in that sweet voice of hers, "Eugene, what is wrong?"

He looked down at her, his brow furrowed, knowing that, because it was her, he was going to tell the truth. "I'm deciding what to do after I lose you." Her expression went from bemused to downright appalled, wondering what on earth he was talking about. "Don't look at me like that, Goldie," he said with a chuckle. "You're a princess, I'm nothing but a petty thief with a price on his head. Do you expect your parents to be proud of the man you've chosen?"

Shaking her head, Rapunzel said angrily, "Eugene Fitzherbert!" He felt like he was being scolded by a parent, like the caretakers at the orphanage used to yell. It was a slightly nostalgic feeling. "I can't believe you'd even think that I'd let that happen." Her voice toned down a bit, and she held his face in her hands. "I'm not going to sit in my ivory tower while you play hide and seek with the guards. You know that, right? I'm never letting you go."

"I have nothing to offer you," he said lamely, her defiant expression sending nearly every other word out of his mind. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life, that much was for sure.

"Sometimes, love is all you need," she replied softly, taking his hand again and resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm proud of who you are, of who I've chosen, and I know that once they get to know you, my mother and father will be too."

He began to contradict her, but the doors behind them opened, and he let go of her hand, taking a step back away from her as her parents, the King and Queen of Corona, stepped forth onto the balcony. Eugene knew instantly that Rapunzel was right, that she was truly the Lost Princess. She had the exact same shade of green eyes as her mother, the same heart shaped face, the slight over bite, and she had the exact shade of chestnut hair as her father, just without the graying streaks. And though he knew he was losing her, he couldn't help but be grateful that he had brought her home.

Rapunzel was lost in a hug between her parents, kneeling on the ground and he smiled, feeling warmth trickle through him at the sight of a family reunited. Her mother caught his eye, and extended a hand to him, her smile bright as the morning sun. Eugene reached out to shake it and accept the gratitude for bring their daughter back, and was suddenly pulled into the embrace.

At that exact moment, he knew that everything he'd ever hoped for in a future with Rapunzel was going to come true. And as if she was trying to put proof into his thoughts, the queen of Corona whispered, "Welcome home."

AN: Edited slightly to help my peace of mind.


End file.
